The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022 was passed

The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022 was passed and signed into law by President Biden on December 20, 2022. It included a requirement for a study by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on how information is collected and provided on state EHDI websites and other formats, and ways to address historically underserved communities. ACI Alliance conducted a review of the 50 state EHDI websites and only 26% were found to provide comprehensive information, which was used to urge for the inclusion of the GAO study in the bill.

In addition, we are pleased that language we worked on remained in the recently introduced Omnibus FY 2023 Labor Health and Human Services (LHHS) explanatory statement.  We will continue to monitor this critical bill as it moves through Congress.

• Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)

The agreement recognizes the requirement under the PHS Act for EHDI funds to support prompt evaluation and diagnosis of children referred from screening programs and appropriate educational, audiological, medical, and communication ( or language acquisition) interventions (including family support), for children identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing. The agreement encourages HRSA to provide the most accurate, comprehensive, up-to-date, and evidence-based information to children identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing and their families. The agreement also encourages HRSA to work with partners to advance awareness about the wide range of modalities available for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, including but not limited to auditory-oral therapy, auditory-verbal therapy, Signed Exact English (SEE), American Sign Language (ASL), Total Communication (TC), and Cued Speech; as well as a full range of assistive hearing technologies, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants.